KANEBOCOLLECTION,OSAKA,JAPAN (BELOW)
Treasures
of handand
heart
LOVE AND PATIENCE
decoratea kimono being
readiedfor a tie-dyeing
process, known as kanoko, by
women in Ohara,Japan
(above left).
Blue dots temporarily
mark the design to be knotted
with silk thread (above)
before dyeing. Removing the
knots leaves a fine-lined,
puckered pattern,such as the
detail of a crane (right)from
an 18th-century kimono (left).
Such artistrytranscends
skill. "Techniques cannot
bring a composition to life,"
says premierJapanesesilk
weaver Heiro Kitagawa. The
artist's "kokoro (heartand
mind) must be projected."
National Geographic,January1984